Tag: Day Ravies

Bathed in red light, Roadhouses created a similarly late-night, intoxicated vibe with a set that was equal parts slowcore and codeine country like like Lucinda Williams fronting Spain. Yvonne Moxham’s guitar shimmered via drawn out chords that hung in the air while she sang songs on the sadder side of romance. Less is more in Roadhouses and the rhythm section featuring Cec Condon (Mess Hall) were the perfect foil, filling in the spaces with deft and delicate touches where required.

Day Ravies upped the ante tenfold in terms of volume and energy, their expanded line-up now including Kate Wilson (The Holy Soul, The Laurels) and a second guitarist. With the juxtaposition of Sam Wilkinson’s snarling voice and the lighter melodic phrasings of Caroline de Dear and Lani Crooks they dove straight into a set that careened through US-style indie rock, twee C86 guitar pop and layered shoegaze textures. Musically they nailed it with their wonderful balance of primitive crush and detailed nuances but the vocal interplay was too disconnected and at times a distraction from the music.

Infinity Broke were lucky to have original drummer Jared Harrison back behind the kit for a gig that was right up there with the best shows they’ve played. Balance is the key to the band’s sound. All of the instruments sounded embedded in just the right place both in terms of the performance and the sound mix. Song-wise the set was a perfectly paced, from the concise and menacing rock of Only The Desert Grows and the staggered dynamics of Papa Was A Clown to the live centrepiece – Monsoon – stretched to what felt like 20 minutes with bassist Reuben Wills taking up residency in the audience while the the taut krautrock pulse and freeform guitar squalls stretched deep into the night. Gloriously inventive avant-rock at its finest.

With friend and musical co-conspirator Kurt Vile in town shortly and getting more attention one might expect Adam Granduciel and his band The War on Drugs to fly under the radar yet they went close to selling out the Oxford Art Factory and played a show that was hypnotic and faultless.

Locals Day Ravies opened the evening with a set that was tentative and underwhelming initially but the quartet gathered steam, found their feet and weighted the back half of their set with their best songs. There was the nagging sense of an unresolved tug of war between the indie-lite guitar pop with docile vocals and the heavier psych/shoegaze direction, primarily led by the guitar of Sam Wilkinson. Day Ravies are still a band growing into their sound based on this performance.

As they took the stage, the immediate impact of The War On Drugs was the quality of the sound mix. Everything was in the pocket with an interesting and slightly processed drum sound, full and deep bass with guitar nestled in-between and the vocals clear and up front. The band played a diverse set that encompassed their various albums and EPs. Highlights included the infectious Baby Missiles and a blissed-out Brothers but really there were no weak points in the hour-long set. Granduciel was genuinely endearing in his banter with the audience which made the gig feel like a gathering of band and like-minded music fans. One generous punter even gave him a copy of The Triffids’ Calenture on vinyl.

The War On Drugs often get labelled as drone and psych but tonight they were a rock band that reveled in traditional musical elements such as the way Granduciel bends and shapes his words in a Dylan-esque fashion, the expansive moodiness of U2 circa The Unforgettable Fire and the bluesy harmonica moments. As a band they sounded effortless yet sonically bold and muscular, like a plane cruising at 30,000 feet. An early highlight for 2014.

On Saturday July 20th Carriageworks in Sydney will host At First Sight which is being billed as a ‘vinyl romance’ style festival with 11 bands and more than 10 DJs soundtracking the day while you peruse the record bins of record stores, labels and private sellers. This is a killer line-upof bands that you are unlikely to see all on the same festival stage. Great music, great concept – embrace it.

Sydney independent label Popfrenzy have announced a trifecta of exciting releases in the last week. Songs have a video for their new song Alone When I’m With You from the forthcoming (early 2013) album Malabar. The song can be purchased HERE for a measly 99c.

Next up is the first single on the label from Sydney band Day Ravies.Double Act follows up their excellent self-released EP from earlier this year and is available as a free download from their Bandcamp page.

Thirdly the brilliantly named Camperdown & Out have been announced as another Popfrenzy signing and they too will have a full length album out early in 2013. The band features Nathan Roche (Marf Loth), Alex Kiers (Raw Prawn), David Akerman (Dead Farmers) and Chris Shortt (Royal Headache). Down & Out is also available from Bandcamp.